Ants' collective retrieval behavior

Posted: Nov 02, 2010 | 2 min 31 sec

This video shows a group of Aphaenogaster cockerelli workers engaging in collective retrieval. These ants are unusually effective at cooperating to retrieve food items too large for a single ant. To learn how they do this, ASU researchers designed this artificial food item and made it attractive by smearing it with fig paste. The forces exerted by each ant can potentially be measured through the deflections of the sensor arms.